Welcome to Four Down Territory.
So, I’ll give you three thoughts on Missouri football or college football in general. Then, the last thought will be whatever I want it to be.
1. Retaining Kirby Moore and Blake Baker.
It appears that the Tigers will get to spin the block with their coaching staff and build on the team’s impressive 2023 season.
Over the weekend, head coach Eli Drinkwitz said to expect news that offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Kirby Moore and defensive coordinator Blake Baker would be returning to the Tigers in 2024.
Does that necessarily mean contract extensions? No. Moore is in the first year of his deal, and Baker just got an extension last season.
Regardless, this is great news for Missouri and its fans.
It only took until the midway point of the season for rumblings about Moore being on the move this offseason to take place, but for good reason.
Last year, in his first year as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Fresno State, Moore helped the Bulldogs become the 53rd-ranked offense at 402.8 yards per game and the 51st-ranked scoring offense at 30.8 points per game on the way to a Mountain West Conference Championship, LA Bowl win and 10-4 record.
That was in a MWC that featured four of the nation’s top 50 defenses.
This season, he’s taken Missouri’s previously 82nd-ranked offense and moved them up 57 spots to the 25th-best offense in the nation at 442.9 yards per game and up 63 spots from 88th to the 25th-ranked scoring offense at 34.1.
He added explosivity to the offense, helped mold Cody Schrader and Luther Burden III into All-Americans, helped quarterback Brady Cook destroy the game-manager conversation, helped turn Xavier Delgado and Connor Tollison into viable starters and developed tight end Brett Norfleet into not only a serviceable receiver in the passing game but a All-SEC Freshman selection.
The offense flowed and was much more dynamic than it had been in the last nine or 10 years.
Moore's name had been linked to the Boise State and San Diego State head coaching jobs but not much came out of those rumors.
Now, the Tigers will lose at least three starters with Foster, Delgado and Schrader running out of eligibility. Nonetheless, the offense is in good shape heading into 2024, and that’s before you add in the pieces the team will add via the transfer portal and or through their recruiting class.
Baker, on the other hand, seemed like a likelier candidate to leave between the two coordinators. He had a terrific first season in 2022 and helped Mizzou become a top-35 defense. Ultimately, that defense was the main reason the Tigers won six games.
He lost three starters from last year’s team and had to start from scratch at defensive end with the departure of his top four defensive ends. But yet again, he led the defense to a top-40 defense (38th at 347.2 yards per game). Also, the scoring defense ranked 42nd at 22.33 points per game. That’s almost three points less than in 2022.
Baker’s name was attached to the Tulane head coaching job, his alma mater, and the LSU defensive coordinator job if it became open.
But Tulane hired Jon Sumrall and LSU still has Matt House as the defensive coordinator.
Regardless, there was a decent chance the Tigers would lose maybe one coordinator, but they actually will end up retaining both. Big-time wins for the program.
2. The Tigers start making splashes in the transfer portal.
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